TFAH Releases Strategies to Improve Nation's Health in 4 Years

A
new report that seeks to move the nation from "sick care" to
"health care" encourages all employers, including federal, state, and
local governments, to provide effective, evidence-based workplace wellness
programs.

Trust for America's Health's
(TFAH) A Healthier America 2013: Strategies to Move from Sick Care to Health
Care in Four Years outlines top policy approaches to respond to studies
that show that (1) more than half of Americans are living with 1 or more
serious, chronic diseases, a majority of which could have been prevented; and (2)
today's children could be on track to be the first in US history to live
shorter, less healthy lives than their parents.

The Healthier America report stresses the importance of taking innovative approaches and
building partnerships with a wide range of sectors in order to be
effective. Some recommendations include:

Advance the nation's public health system by adopting a
set of foundational capabilities, restructuring federal public health
programs, and ensuring sufficient funding to meet these defined
foundational capabilities;

Integrate community-based strategies into new health
care models, such as by expanding accountable care organizations into accountable
care communities; and

Work with nonprofit hospitals to identify the most
effective ways they can expand support for prevention through community
benefit programs.

Healthier America features
more than 15 case studies from across the country that show the report's
recommendations in action. It also includes recommendations for a series of 10
key public health issues.

After the report's release, economic
experts came out against TFAH's position on preventive care's role in
reducing health care spending. (See related article posted in News Now titled "Experts Say
Preventive Care Produces Limited Savings.")